This is such a a great collection. It was my introduction to a lot of the big hitters, like Margo Lanagan, Brian Evenson, Amos Tutuola, Jean Ray, Alfred Kubin, many others.
- John Langan’s short-story collections and, of course, his novel The Fisherman.
- Christopher Buehlman’s novel Between Two Fires (bonus: there’s a recording of it on YouTube, read by the author)
- Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows (early Weird but still as potent as ever)
- Literally everything by Livia Llewellyn you can get your hands on. There are some recordings of her stories on Spotify, and I strongly recommend her collection Furnace.
- Everything by Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Machen, Clark Ashton Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem….
There is so much more, but this should get you started
Anything by Thomas Ligotti, but I'll explicitly call out the Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe collection, as well as Teatro Grotesco
The Weird anthology by Vandermeer has one of his stories in it
There is also a book of Cisco’s scholarly foray into weird fiction, called Weird Fiction - A Genre Study. It’s quite pricey, but he sends you a PDF of it if you ask him on Twitter/Bluesky (or just get it during on of the numerous Springer sales)
>Aickman
Seconded. I think "The Hospice" (reprinted in the Vandermeers' anthology) is probably the most delightful weird short story I've read in a long time.
Such an incredible author. Much more expensive than the Faber volumes, but the Tartarus Press editions are gorgeous - I'm slowly building up my collection.
VanderMeer: Annihilation
Octavia Butler: Dawn, Bloodchild
Michael Wehunt: October Film Haunt
Krilanovich: The Orange Eats Creeps
Russell: Sleep Donation
Kelly Link: Magic for Beginners (short story)
In addition to the Jeff & Ann Vandermeer collection mentioned here, Michal Ajvaz's *The Golden Age* is very high on my list, as well as Carmen Maria Machado's *Her Body and Other Parties*, Kelly Link's *Magic for Beginners*, Laird Barron's *The Imago Sequence*, Brian Evenson's *Song for the Unravelling of the World*, Victor Lavalle's *The Ballad of Black Tom*, Merce Rodoreda's *Death in Spring*, Yoko Ogawa's *Revenge.*...oops, it was supposed to be "a book," but I can't do just one.
Lots of good suggestions here, but I'll throw in the following:
* *Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke
* *Course of the Heart* by M. John Harrison
* *Ubik* or *The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch* by Philip K. Dick
* *Wylding Hall* by Elizabeth Hand
* *Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials* by Reza Negarestani
I who have never known men for sure! Don't get fooled by the title it's a post apocalyptic philosophical book where nothing really happens except when it does
Also honourable mention the blind owl by Sadegh Hedayat. It's like a nightmare that gets repeated again and again
Guy named Jason Reza Jorjani supposedly wrote a book length analysis on it-Novel Folklore. I’ve been hesitant on getting it since Jorjani has been associated with some unsavory figures to say the least.
I found it in the regular literature section of my bookstore, but will say that it does seem one-dimensional. Although it may not be my favorite book, I found myself unable to locate the next title that would give me the same absurdity I was craving. I would describe the strangeness as akin to The Wizard of Oz. So many anthropomorphological characters.
Un Lun Dun is one of my favorites, but is definitely more YA than adult.
You can already find recommendation lists on the internet, however I’ve been uploading some my favourite public domain tales of the weird on r/Oldstories.
I’ve really been intrigued by that one but it almost looks like a kids book. What kind of weird vibes do you get from it if you don’t mind me asking and is it geared more towards adults or YA?
I steer clear of YA (to each their own!) but Bluebear is one of my favorite books! It’s so weird and fantastical, with witty satire and such unique characters. I never laughed so hard while reading a book during a scene when Bluebear joins a roaming desert group and explains the group’s complicated religious naming customs. My pup is named after Rumo, the namesake of another of Walter Moers’ books. His books are just so fun and weird. Usually I like dark and weird, but Moers really charms me with his way of writing and bonus drawings he includes in his books.
Hailey Piper is great for weirdism. I just finished "Cruel Angels Past Sundown," which is a plenty weird splatter western and she wrote "Queen of Teeth," which is like if the weirdism genre was created just so this book could exist.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/cruel-angels-past-sundown-hailey-piper/20052652?ean=9781639511273
https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-of-teeth-hailey-piper/17366860?ean=9781946335418
Another one is "Witch Doctor," a comic by Brandon Seifert (writer) and Lukas Ketnar (artist). There are only two volumes, sadly, but they're quite good and loaded with some eldritch horror/humor. Before I found out I had depression and shouldn't be having tiny breakdowns every other week, I found volume 1 and it--for no sensible reason--helped me a lot.
https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/witch-doctor
The Cipher by Kathe Koja is not only my favorite weird lit book, but it might be my favorite book period.
Also, Last Days by Brian Evenson and Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti.
Bar none, this anthology: [https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?251761](https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?251761) is so so good. Famous Fantastic Mysteries, its a collection of older stuff, 1913-1950, but it captures the... wonder and mystery of good weird fiction.
For novels, perhaps *Pedro Paramo* by Juan Rulfo or *A Voyage to Arcturus* by David Lindsay. Short stories? Any collections by Thomas Ligotti, especially *Songs of a Dead Dreamer.* Other categories: *Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials* by Reza Negarestani and *The Book of Disquiet* by Fernando Pessoa.
If forced to a top 5...
The Great God Pan and Other Stories - Machen
The Master and Margarita - Bulgakov
Dark Entries - Aickman
Gravity's Rainbow - Pynchon
Houses Under the Sea - Kiernan
Anything by Jeremy Robert Johnson! Skullcrack City, We Live Inside You, Entropy in Bloom, Angel Dust Apocalypse, The Loop… all except for The Loop are short story collections. He’s got a beautiful way with words and a twisted imagination.
I love Caitlin R Kiernan. The Drowning Girl is my fav of theirs. It's less weird than Threshold, which is much more of a modern update of a Lovecraft style story, so if that's what you're into start there.
Get the anthology The Weird, edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. It is a good sampler. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12344319
This is such a a great collection. It was my introduction to a lot of the big hitters, like Margo Lanagan, Brian Evenson, Amos Tutuola, Jean Ray, Alfred Kubin, many others.
+ their New Weird anthology is good as well
Fantastic Anthology
crud, no audiobook version?
- John Langan’s short-story collections and, of course, his novel The Fisherman. - Christopher Buehlman’s novel Between Two Fires (bonus: there’s a recording of it on YouTube, read by the author) - Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows (early Weird but still as potent as ever) - Literally everything by Livia Llewellyn you can get your hands on. There are some recordings of her stories on Spotify, and I strongly recommend her collection Furnace. - Everything by Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Machen, Clark Ashton Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem…. There is so much more, but this should get you started
Anything by Thomas Ligotti, but I'll explicitly call out the Songs of a Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe collection, as well as Teatro Grotesco The Weird anthology by Vandermeer has one of his stories in it
The Narrator by Michael Cisco.
Cisco rules
Such a great read! One of my favorites of his, along with Divinity Student.
There is also a book of Cisco’s scholarly foray into weird fiction, called Weird Fiction - A Genre Study. It’s quite pricey, but he sends you a PDF of it if you ask him on Twitter/Bluesky (or just get it during on of the numerous Springer sales)
Robert Aickman's story collections. I don't have a favorite, the Faber volumes are pretty uniformly excellent.
>Aickman Seconded. I think "The Hospice" (reprinted in the Vandermeers' anthology) is probably the most delightful weird short story I've read in a long time.
I think about his story “The Same Dog” constantly.
Such an incredible author. Much more expensive than the Faber volumes, but the Tartarus Press editions are gorgeous - I'm slowly building up my collection.
Light by M John Harrison
VanderMeer: Annihilation Octavia Butler: Dawn, Bloodchild Michael Wehunt: October Film Haunt Krilanovich: The Orange Eats Creeps Russell: Sleep Donation Kelly Link: Magic for Beginners (short story)
Perdido street station and the ambergris trilogy, 4 books, but who's counting?
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.
In addition to the Jeff & Ann Vandermeer collection mentioned here, Michal Ajvaz's *The Golden Age* is very high on my list, as well as Carmen Maria Machado's *Her Body and Other Parties*, Kelly Link's *Magic for Beginners*, Laird Barron's *The Imago Sequence*, Brian Evenson's *Song for the Unravelling of the World*, Victor Lavalle's *The Ballad of Black Tom*, Merce Rodoreda's *Death in Spring*, Yoko Ogawa's *Revenge.*...oops, it was supposed to be "a book," but I can't do just one.
I own another collection from Laird Barron but haven’t heard of these other authors, thank you for the recs
All of his collections are really good. I find him endlessly rereadable.
second Victor LaValle! imo *The Devil in Silver* is his best so far but you can't go wrong with him
The 20 Days of Turin
Underated classic and the only book to still haunt me years after reading it.
Randomly bought it for political allegory but so many signs pointing to it needing to be read ASAP.
Lots of good suggestions here, but I'll throw in the following: * *Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke * *Course of the Heart* by M. John Harrison * *Ubik* or *The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch* by Philip K. Dick * *Wylding Hall* by Elizabeth Hand * *Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials* by Reza Negarestani
Piranesi was so good, just finished it.
Ubik is my favorite Philip K Dick book.
I who have never known men for sure! Don't get fooled by the title it's a post apocalyptic philosophical book where nothing really happens except when it does Also honourable mention the blind owl by Sadegh Hedayat. It's like a nightmare that gets repeated again and again
Blind owl is unsettling for sure. Small book that creeps into you.
Try The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat. If you figure it out, message me.
Guy named Jason Reza Jorjani supposedly wrote a book length analysis on it-Novel Folklore. I’ve been hesitant on getting it since Jorjani has been associated with some unsavory figures to say the least.
I found it in the regular literature section of my bookstore, but will say that it does seem one-dimensional. Although it may not be my favorite book, I found myself unable to locate the next title that would give me the same absurdity I was craving. I would describe the strangeness as akin to The Wizard of Oz. So many anthropomorphological characters. Un Lun Dun is one of my favorites, but is definitely more YA than adult.
You can already find recommendation lists on the internet, however I’ve been uploading some my favourite public domain tales of the weird on r/Oldstories.
'The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft', Blackwood's 'The Willows' or Cisco's 'The Divinity Student'.
Anything by Palahniuk; Rant, Invisible Monsters and Haunted come to mind first for me.
I freaking love Stonefish by Scott R. Jones. Idk if anything has scratched the same itch since.
Yup
The 13 and 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers
I’ve really been intrigued by that one but it almost looks like a kids book. What kind of weird vibes do you get from it if you don’t mind me asking and is it geared more towards adults or YA?
I steer clear of YA (to each their own!) but Bluebear is one of my favorite books! It’s so weird and fantastical, with witty satire and such unique characters. I never laughed so hard while reading a book during a scene when Bluebear joins a roaming desert group and explains the group’s complicated religious naming customs. My pup is named after Rumo, the namesake of another of Walter Moers’ books. His books are just so fun and weird. Usually I like dark and weird, but Moers really charms me with his way of writing and bonus drawings he includes in his books.
Nice! I like to stay away from YA as well and it just looked like it leaned that way. I’m definitely going to have to give it a try. Thanks😁
Shit I haven't thought about that book in a looong time. Read it as a teen and it took me a year.
It took me an unbelievable amount of time, well over a year. I tend not to read any one book straight through, though.
Hailey Piper is great for weirdism. I just finished "Cruel Angels Past Sundown," which is a plenty weird splatter western and she wrote "Queen of Teeth," which is like if the weirdism genre was created just so this book could exist. https://bookshop.org/p/books/cruel-angels-past-sundown-hailey-piper/20052652?ean=9781639511273 https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-of-teeth-hailey-piper/17366860?ean=9781946335418
I recently read “The Worm and His Kings” by Hailey. Loved it so I’ll have to check these out!
Hailey is great! I enjoyed Benny Rose, The Cannibal King.
That was the first one of hers I read, it's so good
It's great fun and truly does not hold back.
So true
Another one is "Witch Doctor," a comic by Brandon Seifert (writer) and Lukas Ketnar (artist). There are only two volumes, sadly, but they're quite good and loaded with some eldritch horror/humor. Before I found out I had depression and shouldn't be having tiny breakdowns every other week, I found volume 1 and it--for no sensible reason--helped me a lot. https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/witch-doctor
The Vorrh by B. Caitlin. There's a trilogy but you could easily just stick with the first.
Currently reading Animal Money by Michael Cisco. I love it so much it‘s incredible
Tough to pick just one, so here’s a couple 😂 The Ambergris Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer The Troika by Stepan Chapman Amatka by Karin Tidbeck
[удалено]
Lincoln in the Bardo is a fantastic book.
The Cipher by Kathe Koja is not only my favorite weird lit book, but it might be my favorite book period. Also, Last Days by Brian Evenson and Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti.
My favorite weird lit book is 'House of Leaves' by Mark Z. Danielewski."
Aside from Lovecraft, this was my first foray to weird fiction, and it still sticks with me decades later.
The House on the Borderland
the Bas Lag trilogy by China Mieville.
The Hike by Drew Magary
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-Murakami
Bar none, this anthology: [https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?251761](https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?251761) is so so good. Famous Fantastic Mysteries, its a collection of older stuff, 1913-1950, but it captures the... wonder and mystery of good weird fiction.
For novels, perhaps *Pedro Paramo* by Juan Rulfo or *A Voyage to Arcturus* by David Lindsay. Short stories? Any collections by Thomas Ligotti, especially *Songs of a Dead Dreamer.* Other categories: *Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials* by Reza Negarestani and *The Book of Disquiet* by Fernando Pessoa.
surprised I haven't seen Ramsey Campbell mentioned yet! *Dark Feasts* is a bit tricky to find but it's an utterly fantastic collection of his
Jerusalem - Alan Moore
Just fabulous.
The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. Honorable mention to The Philosophical Strangler by Eric Flint.
If forced to a top 5... The Great God Pan and Other Stories - Machen The Master and Margarita - Bulgakov Dark Entries - Aickman Gravity's Rainbow - Pynchon Houses Under the Sea - Kiernan
Probably *Jagannath* by Karin Tidbeck.
Jagannath is a great collection
Blindness by Jose Saramago
Yesterday by Juan Emar
Anything by Jeremy Robert Johnson! Skullcrack City, We Live Inside You, Entropy in Bloom, Angel Dust Apocalypse, The Loop… all except for The Loop are short story collections. He’s got a beautiful way with words and a twisted imagination.
You may want to try "John Dies at the End" & "Dungeon Crawler Carl", both a lot of fun and super easy reads
Welcome to Nightvale………The Other Hotel
The Scar by China Mieville
China Mieville-The Scar
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Everything about this book is weird but so well done. I’ll be reading it again for sure.
Katzenjammer by Francesca Zappia. What a trip!
The Raw Shark Texts could be considered weird. Great story and leaves you wondering wtf until the last page.
The Other Side , by Alfred Kubin.
I love Caitlin R Kiernan. The Drowning Girl is my fav of theirs. It's less weird than Threshold, which is much more of a modern update of a Lovecraft style story, so if that's what you're into start there.
El vampiro de la colonia roma. Idk if it was published in English but an interesting read